


In Order to Survive

by sincerepromptfiller



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Con Artists, Discord: Tomarrymort, M/M, Prompt Fill, Read at Your Own Risk, scam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 19:34:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19383337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sincerepromptfiller/pseuds/sincerepromptfiller
Summary: Tomarrymort Discord Prompt Fill(Stay tuned for more prompt fills next week.)Prompt by Essa: Tom is a con/scam artist. Harry falls for one of his scams. It’s the beginning of their love story, obviously.





	In Order to Survive

**Author's Note:**

  * For [exarite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/exarite/gifts).



> I solemnly swear I have filled this prompt from the heart of my bottom.
> 
> XOXO

_Dear reader, you have just won five hundred dollars. In order for us to send you the money, we need you to make a one-time payment to..._

Reader: Wtf. *beeep *

X

"No sorry babe, not this week."

_"This week? It's been far longer, darling. You haven't invited me over to your place for more than a year now. Am I going to find someone else's clothes in your room? Have you been cheating on me?"_

"Please, I really can't. Not right now."

_"Harry... don't you dare hang up now. Harry!"_

Harry sighed and put down his phone.

He held a thick stack of bills that he had fallen behind on. He was terribly worried he would soon be evicted from his tiny apartment.

This was the only place that allowed him to pay such a low rate of rent. 

He needed to find a job - another job that is - on top of his current two.

But he was so exhausted. 

In the end, what was the point of leaving the Dursleys, feeling all excited about being finally free when all it did was trap himself in another cage?

Shackles of society. Now he knew why Hermione said it like that.

Harry had used up all his Potter inheritance quickly. Paying for his education, feeding and clothing himself, hanging out with friends among many other things, he hadn't realized he needed to manage his money better until it had run out. 

He could ask for help, from his best friends Ron and Hermione, or his boyriend, or any of his friends really, but he never thought it was acceptable to take charity. His pride would be hurt.

He dreamed of a good job, something white-collared, stable, with good career prospects. Obviously, it was just a dream. When would he ever find a job that could pay him well enough to survive?

From his pocket, Harry pulled out the piece of paper some guy gave to him in the seedy street he'd cut past when he was running late for work. An advertisement of a job for a real estate agent of sorts. Yea right. He could tell at first glance what it was. Scamming.

Probably cheating both the pitiful job seeker and the victim...

But still. 

The pay was very attractive. 

And now, he considered if his pride was already downtrodden and ground into dust. What dignity did he have left if he needed to cheat others?

X

It finally happened.

He was kicked out of his apartment. Damn it.

Harry dragged his feet to his new job. He'd only just started. He needed to pull more people in if he wanted his first salary in advance.

It was in an internet café though that was a probably a stretch of the term. The place was owned by the scammers.

He pulled out his chair next to a few other scammers when he saw another message from his boyfriend.

He quickly went to a corner in the back to send a quick voice message to his boyfriend.

"Hey love, I'm at work and I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you in a while. I'm not cheating, I just. I'm facing some difficulties. And I don't want to worry you and... I'll call you soon, ok?"

Harry leaned against the wall and clutched his head in despair.

"Love problems?"

He turned around to see another of the scammers getting a cup of water from the dispenser. 

His name was Seamus or something.

"More like money problems. And it's making the love go sour too." Harry admitted.

"Don't we all?" Seamus drank a mouth of water and spat it out. "Is this shit water or something?'

He wiped his mouth and dunked the cup away.

"So what's his name?"

"Uh."

"Okay whatever, I just wanted to ask so I didn't have to pretend I hadn't already seen his name on your phone just now. It's Jerry. Look I'm not gonna tell, it doesn't matter. But we're a close group here. Got to stick together when life does on a dump on you."

Harry groaned. "Okay you're right. It's Jerry. Jerry Barbera." 

"Wait. Jerry fucking Barbera. As in founder of Dii Yee Industries? Why the fuck are you having money problems?"

"I don't wanna bother him about it."

"Well he's a fucking bad boyfriend if he can't spare you some money when he's so fucking rich."

"Hey stop using the fuck word on my boyfriend. You have no idea what he's been through and how far he's come to get to where he is."

"Oh and did you help him when he needed it?"

"Of course. We knew each other since we were 16. We've been through so much together."

Seamus snorts. "You're an idiot."

Harry angrily stomps away.

X

Back at his computer, Harry finally gets an message on Gregslist, the real estate website they were scamming people on.

**[Hey. Interested in buying this house. Is it really that cheap? Are there any hidden costs? -Sent by Fer]**

And here's where his scamming... company... differed from others, they didn't make it so unbelievable that people were on guard.

**[Hi, thank you for your interest. What you see is the cost of the house alone. We have attached the additional costs including acquisition fee, administrative charges and because it's an older property, the likely maintenance cost you have to pay annually and a few other things. -Sent by Denise]** \- Harry quickly typed out.

This would be a huge sale, if he could make this deal.

The conversation carried out online for a while and then.

**[Okay I'll take it. -Sent by Fer]**

Harry's heart pounded in his chest. This was... really? Could his luck have turned for the better? He swore once he got enough from this job he'd stop. He'd stop scamming people and...

**[How do I pay? -Sent by Fer]**

Hands shaking, Harry sent a link to a false payment site which would allow his company to steal the identity and information of the person. 

He watched his screen as the details appeared into their system. 

"Yes!!" He exclaimed.

God this person was loaded. This person who... wait.

Wait.

_Fuck._

Draco Malfoy.

_What the fuck!?_

Harry stared at his computer in shock.

Did he just scam Draco Malfoy!? Why did he call himself Fer?

Oh fuck. _Ferret._

Harry was gripped by guilt.

"What should I do?" he whispered. There was no love lost between them but their stupid high school rivalry wasn't enough to justify scamming the Malfoy heir.

Also this could get Harry into a lot of trouble.

Harry sat in his seat pondering. He decided he had to wait and talk to his boss about it when the guy came in to check on them in the next couple of hours.

X

"Harry. HARRY. OUT!" His boss dragged him by the collar and pulled him roughly out of the internet café.

"What! Hey! Stop!" Harry yelled as he tried to get a proper footing as he was dragged out.

His boss slammed him against the brick wall.

"What were you thinking!?"

"What!? What did I do?"

"You tried to scam Draco Malfoy? _Malfoy_?!"

Harry stared, mouth gaping at his boss.

"I was gonna tell you when-"

"You fool! His father is my boss! The Malfoys control our operations. You basically scammed our boss' son."

_Fuck._

"So it was stupid Potter who did it." came a drawl from the other end of the alleyway. 

Harry turned and came face to face with the blond prick.

"Malfoy..." He bit out.

The blond waved off Harry's supervisor who left quietly.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself Potter?"

"Nothing. Sorry?"

Malfoy sneered.

"Think you could scam me? Got caught, didn't you?"

"Well joke's on you, you got cheated by your own father's illegal operations. What would your father say about that, huh?"

Malfoy's face turned even paler and it contorted into a furious expression.

He leaned right into Harry's space.

"No. Joke's on _you_ , Potter. Because guess who's my father's boss? The guy you've been going out with. That's right. Your boyfriend's the biggest boss. He's the mafia lord of this whole city and you're his personal fucktoy."

"You're lying!"

"You probably had an idea already - just didn't want to see the truth. You're a real fool, Potter. Did you think he was really 16 when you met? Or that he was in love with you? He was just in love with your Potter inheritance."

Harry gaped at him.

"You were his first scam victim."

Malfoy brushed off his suit as he stalked away smugly.

X

Harry set huddling on a bench in a park, rubbing his hands futilely to keep warm. The streetlamp above his bench was not functioning.

There were many cars stopped nearby with their headlights on in the dark, gloomy night. it provided some illumination but not enough to light the darkness in his heart.

His tears were still spilling down his face. 

He should have seen it. He should have.

Malfoy was right. He was the biggest fool.

And he'd just given away so much of his inheritance to help Jerry pay off his debts and set up his company and...

"It took me a while to find you. What are you doing here?"

Harry's head snapped up at the voice. 

"I heard what happened from Draco Malfoy." 

"Well, came here to laugh at me? Jerry?" He hissed angrily. "Is that even your name?"

The man sighed. "No, it's Tom Riddle." 

"What the fuck."

Harry stood up furiously. 

"Was all this a lie?!" He screamed, his heart hurting. "Befriending me to take my inheritance and use it to build your stupid company?!"

"No actually, the company is funded by my own underground business."

"What? That's not possible."

"I swear it upon my own life."

"Then… why?" Harry shook in despair then slumped down onto the bench.

The man knelt down next to Harry. "Why didn't you tell me you had financial difficulties? I thought you were doing fine."

"Are you serious?"

"I left you enough of your inheritance to live well for some years."

"Well how kind of you." Harry scoffed.

"I am."

Harry looked up at him in disbelief.

"I knew once you figured out who I really was you'd run away, and you would be financially capable of it. That's not okay. Still, I wanted to give you some time to explore your options before you ran completely out of funds. After that you'd have no choice but to depend on me."

"What are you even saying." Harry whispered.

"I was in it for the long game, Harry." Jerry - no wait - Tom took Harry's hand and kissed it, before pulling out a small box from his coat. 

Harry stared dumbly as a ring was slid onto his finger.

"Marry me, my sweet heart. And I won't take no for an answer."

Harry looked behind Tom and saw rows of men in suits standing guard.

"Fuck."

**Author's Note:**

> "Wait. Tom and Jerry? You're such a fucker!" Harry yelled.
> 
> "You fell for it." Tom said smugly.


End file.
